tarot cards suit of cups
tarot cards suit of cups

The Suit of Cups Tarot Card Meanings

The Minor Arcana’s Suit of Cups denotes a receptive, feminine energy that is primarily focused on emotions — their power, depth, and wisdom — emphasizing intuition over logical thought and spiritual matters over material concerns.

The Cups often represent one’s emotional condition as it relates to personal relationships, love, hate, and the interaction between one’s spiritual level of consciousness and the natural environment.

Cups are closely linked to creativity and imagination. When a reading primarily features Cups cards, it implies that the subject is in need of solutions to emotional conflicts, romantic matters, and troubled personal interactions.

The negative aspects of the Suit of Cups include being overly emotional or completely disengaged and dispassionate, having unrealistic expectations and fantasising about what could be. There may be repressed emotions, an inability to truly express oneself and a lack of creativity.

Element and Season

The element associated with the Suit of Cups is water and its season is summertime. Water is infinitely agile and immensely powerful. It cleanses and sustains life, yet it can also manifest as a violent tsunami destroying everything in its path.

Water is also considered to be a feminine element, reflecting the discreet, gentle, subtle power associated with the classic Western representation of women through the ages. Consistent with this interpretation of femininity, water is receptive, purifying, flowing and adaptable. It is also a symbol of dreams and of the unconscious.

Ace of Cups

ace of cups illustration
Ace of Cups — Joanna Erbach

The Ace of Cups predicts pure and innocent love, often appearing at the beginning of new romantic relationships. As such, it is seen as a positive and welcome sign in most readings.

Two of Cups

two of cups illustration
Two of Cups — Viktoriia Davydova

The Two of Cups is the ultimate symbol of partnership, manifested in many forms. This particular partnership is a powerful one affecting your past, present and future, bringing great happiness and trust along with it.

Three of Cups

three of cups
Three of Cups — Kelsey Showalter

The Three of Cups tarot card is a celebratory card that calls for a toast with friends and family in moments of personal accomplishment. In the upright position, take it as a sign that success is best when it’s shared.

Four of Cups

four of cups illustration
Four of Cups — Kelsey Showalter

The Four of Cups represents the human tendency to take things for granted. The universe continues to offer you opportunities, but you don’t always recognize them.

Five of Cups

five cups tarot illustration
Five of Cups — Laura Velasco

The Five of Cups tarot card symbolizes disappointment. Instead of moving forward and embracing a more positive outlook on life, you’re dwelling in the past and constantly thinking of what could have been.

Six of Cups

six of cups illustration
Six of Cups — Eugene Smith

The Six of Cups card is deeply connected with your past, and reminds you to cherish the important figures in your life who have stood by you in times of conflict. Finding this card in a spread also implies that past efforts will soon start to pay off.

Seven of Cups

illustration, seven of cups
Seven of Cups — Eugene Smith

The Seven of Cups appears when what you desire is entirely disconnected from your ability to attain it. You’re a big dreamer, but you’re not taking the right steps in order to see the goals you’ve set for yourself realized.

Eight of Cups

8 cups illustration
Eight of Cups — Kelsey Showalter

The Eight of Cups card is a sign of change or transition is one’s life, suggesting that you need to walk away from your existing routine in order to achieve fulfillment and success.

Nine of Cups

nine of cups drawing
Nine of Cups — Hannah Li

The Nine of Cups card represents wishes coming true. After a long stretch of dissatisfaction, this card assures you that everything you’ve worked so hard for will be achieved to the fullest.

Ten of Cups

ten of cups illustration
Ten of Cups — Kelsey Showalter

The Ten of Cups is one of the most uplifting tarot cards you can receive. It represents total emotional fulfillment in not only your professional endeavors, but with all of the most important people in your life; first and foremost among them, your spouse and extended family.

Page of Cups

page of cups illustration
Page of Cups — Kelsey Showalter

The Page of Cups, the eleventh card in the Cups suite, appears when you need to know that it’s okay to let the childlike side of your personality come forward.

Knight of Cups

knight of cups illustration
Knight of Cups — Kelsey Showalter

The Knight of Cups signifies kindness, affection, warmth and platonic love, representing the manifestation of grace under pressure, of diplomacy and positive compromise reigning supreme over coercion and brute force.

Queen of Cups

queen of cups illustration
Queen of Cups — Jessica Ward

The Queen of Cups represents a female or group of females in one’s life who are caring, supportive, nurturing, altruistic souls bent on guiding you towards accepting and deferring to your better self and instincts.

King of Cups

king of cups illustration
King of Cups — Kelsey Showalter

The King of Cups represents warmth, kindness and fair play. He tends to appear when we are emotionally stable and symbolizes serenity in the face of adversity, calmly reminding us that we too possess the inner wisdom and maturity to rise to the various challenges life throws at us.